Best of the Welcome Columns


Best of the Welcome Columns

Author: Alston, Ed
An Iconic Meeting

Today’s column from Ed Alstoen Thursday, December 17, 2009 Today’s column was headed in a totally different direction until a few hours ago. While driving 200 miles back to our home last night, my significant other serendipitously inserted a Ricky Skaggs album into the truck’s cd player. I welcomed her selection. Especially when the “Rank Strangers” track engaged. Skaggs’ faithful rendition of “Rank Strangers” immediately called to mind the Stanley Brothers’ original (1960) version. This recording long has deeply intrigued me. So much so that I eventually – nearly two decades after first learning about the song – had occasion to discuss it with Dr. Ralph Stanley himself. Whenever “Rank Strangers” is sung I recall reading about it for the first time. It was around 1990, not long after I’d been bitten by the bluegrass bug and was trying to learn all I could about the high lonesome sound. Various bluegrass discographies recommended Stanley Brothers albums. But I first read about “Rank Strangers” in, of all publications, a rock’n’roll history book: “The Heart of Rock & Soul – the 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made.” This fascinating 700-page treatise was first published in 1989. It was authored by Dave Marsh, a wonderfully gifted and musically insightful writer of Rolling Stone magazine fame. His book focused on 45 RPM records released during the first four decades of rock’n’roll. To select the Top 1001, he primarily evaluated each recording’s musical impact and quality, concededly subjective measures. I placed much stock in Marsh’s opinions, as I agreed with about 80% of his rankings. His selection of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (Marvin Gaye), and “Johnny B. Goode” (Chuck Berry) at number 1 and 2, respectively, set well with me. Marsh’s book contained a few surprises, to be sure. Probably the biggest appeared in the record he ranked at number 99. It was “Rank Strangers”. I’d never heard of the song. However, I knew of the Stanley Brothers and their influence on Bob Dylan, among other rock’n’roll notables. Marsh listed no other bluegrass recording among his Top 1001 [though he placed “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” as sung by Elvis, at number 612; and he noted that the Everly Brothers, who placed several records in the Top 1001, sang with exquisite “bluegrass-steeped” harmonies.] After reading the two full pages Marsh devoted to discussing “Rank Strangers,” I resolved to find this recording. Why I did so may be evident from an excerpt of Marsh’s awesome writing: “[This recording] opens with a stately guitar-mandolin duet, Carter’s voice entering to gentle the sound and then stir it up again through the mandolin trills that respond at the end of each mournful line. The harmonies – a gaggle of voices including Ralph Stanley, mandolin player Curley Lambert, and guitarist Ralph Mayo – are as ethereal as the words.” It took me several months – and a trip to Salty’s Record Attic in Modesto – to find a Stanley Brothers Starday vinyl album featuring “Rank Strangers”. I gladly plunked down $15 and took it home to my turntable. ‘Twas worth every penny. Just one spin of “Rank Strangers” validated Marsh’s opinion. And, needless to say, the album contained several other priceless gems. To shorten an already long story, my cd collection now sports more cd’s by the Stanley Brothers than another other artist. A little over 20 months ago, Dr. Stanley was scheduled to play a mid-week concert in Los Angeles. Having never had the opportunity to see this bluegrass icon, I was utterly thrilled. I soon enough rounded up three other bluegrass fans to carpool to L.A. Hoping that I’d have a chance to get Dr. Stanley’s autograph, I decided to bring along “The Heart of Rock & Soul”. If the opportunity arose, I wanted to ask him to sign my copy just as he’d surely done for many others. Then I reflected a bit more. It occurred to me that Dr. Stanley -- whose life presumably had been surrounded almost exclusively by bluegrass musicians and fans -- might not have seen a book unlikely to circulate outside rock’n’roll circles. So I made copies of both pages Marsh had written about “Rank Strangers”, in case Dr. Stanley wanted them. That extra effort proved worthwhile. And the concert admission price turned out to be money well spent. Dr. Stanley and the Clinch Mt. Boys wowed the crowd with marvelous music and great stage presence. Moreover, as most readers would probably guess, getting to meet Dr. Stanley didn’t prove very difficult. During intermission he stood at his cd booth, and graciously spoke with all comers….even relatively new bluegrass fans like myself. As I presented “The Heart of Rock & Soul” to Dr. Stanley for his autograph, he said he’d never seen the book. When I told him that a Stanley Brothers record had been deemed one of rock’n’roll’s all-time top hundred records, he seemed quite surprised. He immediately guessed, “[Man of] Constant Sorrow”. I told him no, it was “Rank Strangers”. He again registered surprise, and eagerly took the copies I’d made for him. After he’d signed “Dr. Ralph Stanley” at the top of the number 99 heading, I asked whether he might want me to get him a copy of “The Heart of Rock & Soul”. He replied affirmatively and reached in his pocket for bills to pay me. I told him that I didn’t want any money, that his autograph in my copy was payment enough. Dr. Stanley very kindly thanked me, and iterated that he’d really appreciate getting his own copy of the book. A few days later I managed to score a brand-new copy of “The Heart of Rock & Soul” from amazon.com. I promptly mailed it to Dr. Stanley. For about a year, I didn’t know whether he’d actually received the book. Last January, however, I was able to meet with Dr. Stanley again in Portland, where he and his band – including 16-year-old grandson, Nathan Stanley -- headlined the River City Festival. Once again I approached Dr. Stanley at his cd sales table. After thanking him for a great show, I asked whether he’d received the book I’d sent him. Before Dr. Stanley could answer, Nathan, standing nearby, piped up: “Oh, you mean the one with ‘Rank Strangers’?” I nodded and smiled broadly. Nathan’s remark and the look on his face told me that he’d enjoyed reading Dave Marsh’s item as much as Dr. Stanley did. Among many magical moments at the River City fest, none so memorable as this one.

Posted: 12/17/2009